1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lower structure of a vehicle and, more particularly, to a lower structure of a vehicle, which includes a joint between a floor panel and a main framework extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lower structure of a vehicle is required to absorb a load exerted in the event of a collision of the vehicle. As the structure that absorbs a load, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-131148 (JP-A-2007-131148), for example, describes a vehicle body lower structure. In the vehicle body lower structure, a floor panel is coupled to an upper portion of a front side member, and a floor upper member is provided at a kick portion, and then reinforcement is provided inside the front side member.
In this vehicle body lower structure, the floor upper member is provided above the front side member, and the reinforcement is provided inside the front side member. Therefore, the above vehicle body lower structure is able to improve productivity and maintain high collision performance in the event of a frontal collision.
However, in the vehicle body lower structure described in JP-A-2007-131148, the floor upper member and the reinforcement are provided for the front side member to thereby increase the bending rigidity of the front portion of the front side member. Therefore, to increase the rigidity of the front portion of the main framework, such as the front side member (floor member), the number of components increases.